Trooper mourned after shooting at busy Virginia bus station

Police and rescue officials mingle with bus patrons outside the Greyhound Bus Station Thursday, March 31, 2016, in Richmond, Va. Virginia State Police say two troopers responding to a shooting at the Richmond bus station and a civilian have been taken to

A law enforcement official stows his weapon after responding outside the Greyhound Bus Station Thursday, March 31, 2016 Richmond, VA. Virginia State Police said at least two troopers responding to a shooting at the Richmond bus station and civilian have b

A group of bus patrons are escorted by a police officer outside the Greyhound Bus Station on Thursday, March 31, 2016, in Richmond, Va. Virginia State Police said at least two troopers responding to a shooting at the Richmond bus station and civilian have

Police and rescue officials mingle with bus patrons outside the Greyhound Bus Station on Thursday, March 31, 2016, in Richmond, Va. Virginia State Police said at least two troopers responding to a shooting at the Richmond bus station and civilian have bee

In this November 2014 photo provided by the Virginia State Police, trooper Chad P. Dermyer poses for a photo as he receives his graduation diploma from Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A state trooper who was fatally shot at a busy bus terminal during a training exercise was mourned Friday in Virginia and in Michigan, where he grew up, as officials investigated what sparked the shooting.

A gunman shot Trooper Chad P. Dermyer, 37, multiple times Thursday in Richmond before he was killed by two other troopers, police said. The gunman's identity was withheld until his family could be notified.

Two women also were shot but were expected to recover. Their names haven't been released, but spokesman Ryan Yarosh with Binghamton University in New York said Friday that one of the women was a member of the school's track team. The team was headed Thursday to a meet at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, about 50 miles from Richmond.

Police say Dermyer, the father of two children, was a native of Jackson, Michigan, and a former Marine who had served on the force in Jackson and Newport News, Virginia.

Earlier this year, Dermyer and another trooper briefly became mini-celebrities when they rescued a lost dog running through interstate traffic in Hampton. The rescue was highlighted on WVEC TV and received widespread praise on social media.

Dermyer and his partner returned the dog, a miniature schnauzer named Pinta, to its owner Jeffrey Corbin. Corbin said Friday the brief meeting helped change his perception of state troopers.

"I don't have a lot of contact with state troopers, but in my mind's eye they seem to be all business," Corbin said. "But he seemed to be a really warm person. ... He had a warm persona about him."

Dermyer grew up in Michigan and kept in touch with friends there, visiting last summer, The Jackson Citizen Patriot (http://bit.ly/1q97IK0 ) reported. Matt Miller of Jackson said he played soccer with and against Dermyer since they were children. He described Dermyer as a good guy and a strong athlete.

Dermyer had been participating with about a dozen other troopers in a training exercise at the bus station when a brief encounter with the gunman quickly turned violent, said Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty.

Dermyer was dressed in a fatigue-style uniform and was not wearing a protective vest, the superintendent said.

"We've got a lot of evidence to sift through," Flaherty said. The evidence, he said, included bags that could have belonged to the gunman.

A small army of law enforcement officers in tactical gear and dozens of cruisers and emergency response vehicles flooded to the station, in an area that includes a minor league baseball stadium and a variety of commercial establishments and restaurants.

Najee Wilson, 18, of Newark, New Jersey, said his bus was pulling up to the station when he heard three gunshots and saw people running out of the building.

"We heard a lot of people screaming," Wilson said. "It definitely was a scary experience."

Wilson, who was en route to Atlanta, was among about 200 travelers waiting to board buses at a staging area set up a few blocks from the bus station after the shooting.

Leigha Schilling, who was between stops on her bus trip from New York to South Carolina, said she was smoking a cigarette outside the station. She went back inside briefly and saw people lying on the ground and what appeared to be blood on the floor. A security guard ordered her to get on the floor, but she ran back outside, and then heard several shots, she said.

"I was terrified," she said. "I didn't know what was going on."

City Councilwoman Reva Trammell called it "the saddest day in the city of Richmond."

"State troopers doing their job and innocent people shot," she said. "Why? This was a senseless act."

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe echoed her sentiments in a statement: "This is a loss that impacts us all. It should inspire prayers for the family, friends and fellow troopers who are mourning tonight, and gratitude for those who protect and serve."

About 50 officers from the Richmond Police Department went to the bus station to assist state police, Chief Alfred Durham said.

He said law enforcement officers have become the target of "folks out there with evil intentions."

"It's unfortunate these are the days we're living in, where folks want to harm law enforcement," Durham said. "We just want our officers to end their shifts and to go home to their families."

Greyhound issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying the Richmond bus station would be closed "until further notice."

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

A San Diego judge called an adult man a "little boy" in his courtroom, repeatedly noted the physical attractiveness of female attorneys and spoke to litigants in Spanish based on their surnames, among other misconduct that nearly led to his removal from office, a state disciplinary agency said Thursday.

A San Diego judge called an adult man a "little boy" in his courtroom, repeatedly noted the physical attractiveness of female attorneys and spoke to litigants in Spanish based on their surnames, among other misconduct that nearly led to his removal from office, a state disciplinary agency said Thursday.

An international team of veterinarians is in Ukraine helping hundreds of dogs at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. One of the vets is from San Diego and spoke with News 8 via Skype while on a mission of mercy.

An international team of veterinarians is in Ukraine helping hundreds of dogs at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. One of the vets is from San Diego and spoke with News 8 via Skype while on a mission of mercy.

The captain of a Navy warship that lost seven sailors in a collision with a commercial container ship in June will be relieved of command and nearly a dozen others face punishment, the Navy's second-ranking admiral said Thursday.

The captain of a Navy warship that lost seven sailors in a collision with a commercial container ship in June will be relieved of command and nearly a dozen others face punishment, the Navy's second-ranking admiral said Thursday.